MSP LTER Study Area

Urban forest plots

Study of large contiguous forest patches in Metro Area parks assessing forest habitat quality at multiple spatial scales.

Parks with sampling

Parks where we are collecting data on urban contaminants, squirrel behavior, tree transpiration, and more.

Study Lakes

Lakes we are analyzing existing and new water quality data and developing models to better understand how urban land use, stormwater management, and climate change are interacting to influence nutrient inputs.

Municipal case studies

We are conducting interviews across a selection of municipalities in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area with the general public, municipal staff, and interest groups. Our goal is to understand how municipal rules of nature are put into practice, including both formal (ordinance) and informal (social norms) rules. We are also interested in whether and how the public and interest groups are advocating for changes in urban nature governance.

Municipal ordinance analysis

We are analyzing municipal ordinances across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area to understand the formal institutions around governing urban nature, including what is required, enforcement and penalties for non-compliance, and who can be involved in shaping municipal rules of nature.

Watershed districts

Watershed Management Organizations and other groups we are working with in studying stormwater throughout MSP

Bee lawn

Approximate location of residential yards where we are studying how lawns can serve as bee habitat by sampling and surveying vegetation, soils, and insects.